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THE STORY 



\ 



OF 



ROBERT E. LEE 



y 



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THE STORY of 
ROBERT E. LEE 



BY 
EVERETT G. SCULLY 



1905 

L, H. NELSON COMPANY 

PORTLAND, MAINE 



IIBKARY oI CiONSBESS 
iwo GoiMes rteceivixi 

SEP. 8 1905 

Oouyriiiiii aiirv 

/^ S7 5 3 

COPY 8. 



Copyright, 1905 
L. H.= Nelson Company 




THE STORY of ROBERT E. LEE 



BOr AND VOUNG MAN 



^gkTRATFORD, the ancient manor-house of the Lee family, is yet standing 
'^^ in the historic county of Westmoreland, Virginia, near the hanks of the 
Potomac, and only separated by a few miles from the birthplace of the great 
"Father of his Country." It was in one of the rooms of this stately mansion 
that two signers of the immortal Declaration of Lidependence were born, Richard 
Henry and Francis Lighttoot Lee, and here, also, on the nineteenth of January, 
1807, in the same chamber, Robert Edward Lee, the future commander of the 
heroic Army of Northern Virginia, first saw the light of day. 

The little new comer was the fourth son of (General Henry Lee, the 
dashing "Light-horse Harry" of the Revolution, and, as after events proved, 
was an heir to the military genius of his celebrated father united to the gentle 
and lovable nature ot a sweet and refined mother. This noble woman, who 
early inspired the young child with those ideas which are the basis of a lofty 
character, was a daughter of the Carters of Shirley, one of the oldest and most 
respected families of Virginia. 

Robert was about tour years old when General Lee removed to Alexandria, 
near Washington, tor the especial purpose of giving to his children the advan- 
tage of an education in the fine schools f)r which the town was noted. It was 

(5) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

only two years later when the health of the father began to tail, and he regret- 
fully left his family and voyaged to the West Indies in the hope of staying the 
progress of a fatal disease. General Lee remained in the tropics tor several 
years, but at last, despairing of recovery, turned his face toward home. It was 
destined that he should never reach Virginia. On the return voyage he was 
taken seriously ill and was landed at Cumberland Island, Georgia, where he 
died and is buried. 

This sad event was a hard blow to the youngest son, now eleven years 
old, who had dearly loved his father and admired him as a hero. Robert was 
the only brother then permanently at home, and he manfully accepted respon- 
sibilities and duties far beyond his years. He devoted himselt to his mother, 
who had now become a patient invalid, and relieved her as much as he could 
from all domestic cares. A paragraph from a letter of the sick father, written 
in the somewhat stilted language of the time, reveals a glimpse ot the sterling 
character which the dying man had recognized as developing in the son : " Robert, 
who is always good, will be enjoined in his happy frame of mind by his ever 
watchful and affectionate mother." 

The schooling of the boy was obtained in old Alexandria Academy, and 
his first teacher was a Mr. Learv, an amiable and accomplished gentleman, 
who grounded him well in the essentials of a good education. After the Civil 
War, a meeting took place between the teacher and his famous pupil and the 
latter was not ashamed to display a genuine depth of feeling for his aged 
instructor. 

It is probable that the career of his next oldest brother, Sydney Smith Lee, 
who had entered the service of the United States Navy, as well as his own 
natural bent toward the military, strongly influenced the boy's choice ot a 
vocation in life, for it was soon decided that Robert should go in for the army. 
With that end in \ievv he was sent to Mr. Benjamin Hallowell's school in 
Alexandria, known to irreverent scholars as " Brimstone Castle," from its 
peculiar color, and in 182^, when eighteen years old, the name ot Robert E. 
Lee was on the list of appointees to the Lhiited States Military Academy at 
West Point, where he succcssfullv passed all examinations and was enrolled as 
a cadet. 

It is recorded that Cadet Lee paid strict attention to the duty required 
in this superb military institution. The study of tactics and strategy was 
particularly agreeable to him, and his excellent habits and efficiency soon made 

(6) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. L, E E 




Old Battery at West Point 

him a cadet officer in his class. During the last year in the Academ\' he attained 
the post of honor, the adjutancy ot the corps. There appears to be no stories 
of Cadet Lee " running the guard " or indulging in an\- (,t tiie forbidden amuse- 
ments not unknown to many a stern alumnus ot West Point, in ibi^v-. Robert 
E. Lee graduated second m a class ot tortv-six, and was imniediatciv com- 
missioned and became Lieutenant Lee ot the Engineer Corps of the L'nited 
States Army. It is interesting to recall that twenty years later, his eldest son, 
George Washington Custis Lee, who was also cadet adjutant, graduated first 
in his class and was assigned to the Engineer Corps. This famous Corps is 
compt)sed ot cadets who haye gained the highest honors in the Academy, and 
it has contained, trom time t(.> time, a remarkable number ot distinguished men 
and able soldiers. 



(7) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

Lieutenant Lee, we are told, was " splendid-looking, as full of life, fun, and 
particularly of teasing, as any ot us." He was straight, and carried erect a 
finely-shaped head upon a pair of broad shoulders. He had been an occasional 
visitor at Arlington, the beautiful home of George Washington Parke Custis, 
the adopted son of George Washington, and while very young, had been 
attracted by the beauty and good sense of Mary Custis, a talented young 
woman, who was fitted by birth, education and family tradition to be his com- 
panion for life. At first Mr. Custis faintly opposed the prospect of a military 
son-in-law, but Lieutenant Lee was thoroughly in earnest and the great grand- 
daughter of Martha Washington became the promised bride of the young 
soldier. 




Grand Old Arlington House 

(8) 



THE S T O R ^- OF ROBERT E. LEE 



The marriage took place at grand old Arlington House on the thirtieth 
of June, 1851. It is doubtful if a happier or more brilliant assemblage ever 
gathered within those historic walls. An amusing episode added to the gayety 
of the occasion. The officiating clergyman was drenched by a brief but heavy 
shower which overtook him while coming to Arlington, and was obliged to 
borrow dry garments of Mr. Custis. The difference in the size of the two 
men was very noticeable, and but for the surplice which covered the good 
man's misfortune during the ceremony, it would have been hard for the well- 
bred company to conceal its smiles. 

Lieutenant Lee was assigned to work on the defenses at Hampton Roads 
for nearly four years, and his splendid performance of this duty soon obtained 
him an appointment as assistant to the chief engineer at Washington. This 
was an agreeable change as it brought him near his wife, and the figure of the 
tall officer riding in from Arlington every morning to the department, and back 
again in the evening, became a familiar one. It was probably a most happy 
period of his life. A story is told of one fine afternoon when he dared 
another lieutenant to mount behind him and ride to Arlington — a challenge 
which was promptly accepted, to the horror of a dignified Cabinet Secretary, 
who met the laughing young men as they paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue, 
bowing to everyone they knew. 

Seven years after leaving West Point he became Captain Lee, and was 
ordered to St. Louis to overcome a tendency of the Mississippi to abandon the 
Missouri shore and flow entirely through the State of Illinois. It was a hercu- 
lean task, and kept him away from his home in \'irginia for many years, but 
was finally accomplished in spite of much bitter and ignorant opposition, for 
hundreds of the citizens could not comprehend the engineering work — the 
driving of piles and the building of coffer-dams at selected points — which 
caused sediment to be deposited in the new angles and gradually forced the 
reluctant river back to its original channels. 

At the completion of this enduring work Captain Lee was ordered to 
New York City to perfect the system of harbor defence, and stationed at Fort 
Hamilton. Here for a time his family, now including Mrs. Lee, a little daucrh- 
ter, Mary, and two sturdy boys, formed a charming portion oi the garrison 
community — a peaceful picture soon disturbed by rumors of war. 



THE S I' () Pv Y OF ROB E R T ]■,. LEE 



IN JFAR AND PEACE 

'/Ij HE Republic of Texas, which had revolted from Mexico in 1836, was 
admitted to the American Union in 1845. ^^ '^'^^ Mexicans had never 

formally acknowledged the independence of the Texans, the annexation caused 

much ill-feelinc;. The western boundary ot the new State was yet unsettled. 

lA)th the Lhiitcd States and Mexico sent armies to enforce their authority in 

the disputed tcritory, and, as might 
have been expected, the proximity of 
the hostile bodies finally resulted in a 
collision in which blood was shed and 
the Mexican War precipitateci. Gen- 
eral Zachary Taylor ( Old Rough 
and Ready ) in command of the 
American army, immediately took 
the offensive, defeated a superior force 
of the enemy in two pitched battles, 
crossed the Rio Grande and invaded 
Mexico. 

The war, now an accomplished 
tact, was not popular in all sections of 
the country, but Captain Lee, being 
an army officer, did not stop to 
inquire into the right or wrong of a 
struggle with a foreign power. He 
took the field at once with General 
Wool, operating in northern Mexico 




General Zacharv Taylor 



but was soon drafted by General Winfield Scott, commanding an army which 
laid siege to the city ot Vera Cruz, and attached to his staf^. 

The siege of this Mexican seaport was conducted with great vigor. The 
placing of batteries and many other important details were left in charge of 



(10 



THE STORY OK ROBERT E. E E E 

Captain Lee, and much of the credit for the speedy surrender of Vera Cruz, 
which took piace after a week's bombardment, was ascribed to his good judg- 
ment. 

Having now a secure base of operations, General Scott was ready to 
advance on the city of Mexico. The forward movement began early in April. 
Santa Anna, the Mexican commander, threw a strong force across the road at 
Cerro Gordo, but was utterly defeated and his army put to headlong flight. 
Santa Anna himself narrowly escaped capture and lost a cork leg in the chase. 
In an official report of the battle General Scott wrote: " I am obliged to make 
special mention of Captain R. E. Lee, Engineer. This officer was again inde- 
fatigable during these operations in reconnaissances as daring as laborious, and 
of the utmost value." 

The Americans had proven their fighting ability so well that no further 
serious opposition was encountered until the Valley of Mexico was reached. 
Here the Mexican forces gathered to defend their Capital, while Scott's army 
moved down the mountain side to within ten miles of the city. At this point 
the American troops became separated by the Pedregal, a vast, desolate expanse 
of volcanic rocks and scoria, full of dangerous fissures, only passable on foot 
and then by the most painful exertions. It was necessary that General Scott 
on one side of the barrier should communicate with the troops on the other 
side. Night came on and with it a torrent of cold, drenching rain. Seven 
officers attempted the task only to return exhausted, but Captain Lee, who was 
with the advanced force, traversed the Pedregal alone, informed his commander 
of the positions of the troops in front, and requested that a diversion be made 
in the morning against the enemy's center. General Scott afterward character- 
ized this service as "the greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed 
by any individual, to mv knowledge, pending the campaign." 

On the following morning, August 20, 1847, ^^^ ad\'ance was made, as 
asked for, and Contreras fell in seventeen minutes. The American forces won 
five distinct actions during the day, and at nightfall the bulk of the Mexican 
army was glad to gain the shelter of the city walls. A few weeks later with 
the fall of Molino del Rev and Chapultepec, the strongest defenses of the 
Capital, the American troops entered Mexico and raired the Stars and Stripes 
over the National Palace. 



I 1 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 




his children, " who,' 



The Mexican cam- 
paign was only six 
months long but it clearly 
demonstrated the won- 
derful ability of Robert 
E. Lee as a soldier. He 
was successively brevet- 
ted major, lieutenant- 
colonel and colonel for 
gallant conduct. It is 
doubtful, however, if all 
these honors satisfied him 
so much as to be home 
Chapultepec ^g^;^ ^^ Arlington with 

as he writes, " seem to devote themselves to staring at the 
white hairs in my head and the furrows in my face." 

Among the young captains and lieutenants who were in the victorious 
American army and niore or less known to Captain Lee may be named 
LTlysses S. Grant, George G. Meade, George B. McClellan, Winfield S. 
Hancock, Joseph Hooker, Ambrose E. Burnside, Irving McDowell, John 
Sedgwick, and also Albert Sidney and Joseph E. Johnston, Ambrose P. Hill, 
James Longstreet, Jubal Early, Richard S. Ewell, Braxton Bragg, Thomas J. 
(Stonewall) Jackson and Peter G. T. Beauregard. They were all young men, 
fighting side by side under one flag, little dreaming that in less than fifteen 
years they would draw their swords in hostile armies. 

Captain Lee went back cheerfully to his engineering work, but in 1852 
received the appointment as superintendent of the United States Military 
Academy at West Point, from which he had graduated only twenty-three years 
before. The discipline of the institution was much improved while he admin- 
istered its aflairs, and the school attained a higher degree of efficiency than had 
been the rule. His son tells a story of this period which is typical of the 
gentle, kindly soul of Robert E. Lee. 

" It was against the rules that the cadets should go beyond certain limits 
without permission. Of course they did go sometimes, and when caught were 
given quite a number of 'demerits.' My father was riding out one afternoon 
with me, and, while rounding a tiu^n in the mountain road with a deep woody 



(l^) 



THE S T O R ^' O V R () 1^ K R T E. LEE 




'They were all young men fighting side by side under one flag" 

('3) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 



ravine on one side, we came suddenly upon three cadets tar beyond the limits. 
They immediately leaped over a low wall on the side of the road and disap- 
peared from our view. We rode on for a minute in silence; then my father 
said: ' Did you know those young men? But no; if you did, don't say so. 
I wish boys would do what is right, it would be so much easier for all parties.' " 
In 1S55 Captain Lee was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of the Second 
Cavalry, a new regiment raised for service in the Southwest, and ceased to be 
superintendent ot the Academy. The theatre of the operations oi this regi- 
ment, which was commanded by Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, was in the 
region embraced by the the Rio Grande on the south and the Arkansas River 
on the north, extending from the western boundary of the Indian Territory to 
the eastern line of New Mexico. This immense country was then almost 
entirely the home of wild animals and savage Indians, and it was the duty of the 







r (jm ' \ 




Engine House, Harper's Kerry — Seized by "John Brown Raiders' 



(14) 



THE S T (J R Y OF RUBE R T E. LEE 

Second Cavalry to stop the depredations ot the latter upon such settlements as 
were exposed to their attacks. 

For several years the regiment was employed in this dangerous work. 
Colonel Lee assumed full command hiniselt in 1S57 and accomplished much 
useful service in repressing the activity of the Indians. He was in Virginia in 
the tall ot iSt;^ just in tune to he simimoned by the Secretary of" War to 
capture the "John Brown Raiders" uho had seized the government arsenal at 
Harper's Ferry. All the raiders were killed, wounded or captured. The Vir- 
ginians were wild with excitement, but Colonel Lee protected the prisoners from 
mob violence, turned them over to the civil authorities as directed from Wash- 
ington, and rode home to Arlington. 

Shortly afterward, he returned to his post in the West. Here he remaine^l, 
profoundly agitated by the growing danger of a civil war, until ordered to 
report at Washington in March, i<S6i. 



(■5) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 



THE GREAT COMMANDER 

|INCE the Mexican War, the slavery question had come more to the 
front, year bv year, until it heici first place in the thoughts of all Ameri- 
cans, North and South. Its discussion was not always attended by reason or 
good judgment, and as time went on the people of both sections began to look 
upon each other as enemies. The rapid spread of this feeling caused many 
earnest men who honestly differed in their solution of the problem to think 
alike so tar as alarm for the safety of the Union was concerned. 

Colonel Lee had outlined his views on the subject of human slavery in a 
letter from Texas in 1856 in which he wrote : "There are few, I believe, in this 
enlightened age who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a 
moral and pohtical evil. I think it is a greater evil to the white than to the 
colored race. While my feelings are strongly enHsteci in behalf of the latter, 
my sympathies are more deeply engaged for the former. Emancipation will 
sooner result from the mild and melting influences of Christianity than from 
the storm and tempest of fiery controversy." 

There were plenty of Americans who shared these ideas, but the trend of 
events in the North firmly convinced the South that what the bulk of the 
southern people considered their constitutional rights were not safe. As the 
Presidential election of i860 drew nigh, it was clear that a split in the Union 
was at hand, and the returns were anxiously awaited by the whole people. 

The election of President Abraham Lincoln was the signal for action. 
Led by South Carolina, the States of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 
Louisiana and Texas passed ordinances declaring themselves independent of 
the United States Government, and on February 4, 1861, delegates from these 
seven "Cotton States" met at Montgomery, Alabama, and organized the 
Confederate States of America. They elected Jefferson Davis and Alexander 
H. Stephens, President and Vice-President, adopted a constitution and a flag 
and took steps to form an army and navy. 

(16) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 




[efterson Davis, President of the Confcderacv 



'7 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

The first shell which burst over Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, decided 
the question of peace or war between the two governments. President 
Lincoln's call for troops was followed by the secession of Arkansas, Tennessee, 
North Carolina, and on the 17th of April, by Virginia. All these States united 
with the new Confederacy. 

Hundreds of brave men who had served honorably in the army or navy 
of the United States were now obliged to determine the path of duty — whether 
it lie with the old flag and their old associates or with their homes, their rela- 
tives and friends. To an elevated and conscientious character like that of 
Robert E. Lee it was a terrible ordeal. What it cost him in mental anguish 
]nay be gleaned from letters written at this period. General Scott, who was a 
^'irginian, pleaded with him to remain in the service of the United States, but 
the action of the Old Dominion appears to have settled the matter. Although 
offered the command of the Northern army. Colonel Lee declared : "If I 
owned four millions of slaves, I would cheerfully sacrifice them to the preser- 
vation of the Union, but to lift my hand against my own State and people is 
impossible." On the 20th of April he forwarded his resignation to the Secre- 
tary of War, and on the 23d accepted an appointment as commander-in-chief of 
the military forces of Virginia with the rank ot Major-General. 

The call of duty as it appeared to Robert E. Lee was stronger than any 
other consideration. He sacrificed his private fortune without a murmur when 
his family left Arlington, which became the headquarters of the Federal advance 
into Virginia during the month following his resignation. Beautiful Arlington 
was endeared to him by its historic associations and by many years of happy 
married life. For these reasons only, the loss of it wrung his heart. 

At the beginning of hostilities neither government was prepared for the 
vigorous prosecution of a war, but General Lee had lived too many years in 
the North and knew the people of that section too well to share the common 
belief that the struggle would be a short one. He immediately bent all his 
energies to the work of preparation and organization. There was no lack of 
men at this time, the difficulty was to arm them. He therefore added to his 
labors the promotion of interest in the manufacture of small arms, cannon and 
ammunition in the South. By the last of May, 1861, he had organized, 
equipped and put in the field over thirty thousand men. 

The seat of the Confederate Government was soon removed to Richmond, 
and General Lee was transferred to its service. A few weeks later the quality 

(iS) 



THE S T () R Y O F ROB F, R T E. LEE 




■^ 



.^.. 



At Bull Run 



of rhe troops which 
he had sent to the 
rront \\ as proven on 
the field of Bull 
i'tun. Neither side 
in that historic battle 
was composed of 
well-trained soldiers, 
but f r o ni the in 
developed two ot the 
grandest bodies ot 
fighting men that 
the world has ever 
seen — the gallant 
Army ot Northern 
Virginia and the 
splendid Army ot the Potomac — destined to meet upon a hundred fields. 

McDowell's deteat relieved Richmond trom the danger ot an immediate 
attack, and the attention of the Southern leaders turned to the threatening 
condition ot affairs in northwestern Virginia. The people ot that mountainous 
region had been reluctant to leave the LTnion, and a Contederate army opera- 
ting in the district with the object ot securing its allegiance to the Southern 
cause had been scattered by a strong torce of Federals. Union victories were 
rare in the first months of the war, and the conrmander ot the successful army, 
General George B. McClellan, became famous throughout the North. As the 
work of organizing and assigning troops had become less important, General 
Lee was appointed to the comtiiand ot the Contederate army in northwestern 
Virginia. He found himself opposed by an able officer. General William S. 
Rosecrans, who had succeeded McClellan. 

It must be admitted that this campaign among the mountains, which lasted 
three months, was marked by no Confederate successes of value, in fact, by no 
large engageinents whatcv^ ^Bad weather and a lack ot harmony in the 
Southern army upset thebest plans of the patient leader. At the approach of 
winter, the authorities at Richmond suspended operations in that quarter, and 
the northwestern part of Virginia was afterward cut off and admitted to the 
Union as West Virginia in if^6j. 



■^) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 



The public criticism ot General Lee on his return from this barren cam- 
paign was bitter and unjust. He was called "incapable," and accused of being 
too much the engineer, " preferring rather to dig entrenchments than to right." 
The great soul of the man knew that the blame for his ill-success belonged to 
others, but he chose to remain silent. 

Soon after, it became evident to the Confederate l^epartment of War that 
the long coast line of the southernmost Atlantic States was practically defenceless 
and lay exposed to the energetic Federal fleets and armies. It was an alarming 
condition, as the seaports were already the great feeders through which the 
young Confederacy received supplies of every description from abroad, many of 
which were almost essential to sustain the Southern cause at that time. The 
work demanded an able engineer. General Lee, above all others, was the man 




The Confederate Capitol at Richmond 
(20) 



r H F. S r U K Y OF ROB F K I F. L F E 

for the duty, but is \\;is with some misgivings that he received the orders, for 
the storm of criticism had not entirely ceased. His instructions were to put 
the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida in defensive condition. 

This appalling task engaged General Lee's closest attention for over tour 
months. Fie was constantly on the mo\'e from one point to another along the 
the line ot operations, and public confidence in the three States was restored bv 
the powerful works that rose as it by magic. At Charlestown and Savannah, 
the fortifications were placed with masterly skill — how well will be realized 
when it is remembered that both cities defied all attempts to captiu^e them until 
near the close ot the war. 

With the coming of spring, the immense army which McClellan had 
gathered about Washington began to prepare to move against the Confederate 
Capital. At the first indication ot this forward movement, I-'resident Davis, 
who had never lost faith in General Lee, recalled him trom South Carolina and 
gave him command ot the armies ot the Contederacy. This office carried with 
it the ciuty ot conducting the military operations ot the Southern torces under 
the direction of Mr. Davis. 

Lideed, there was reason tor anxiety, tor things had begun badly tor the 
new goy^ernment diuMiig the first tew months ot 1S62. In the West, Forts 
Henry and Donelson had fallen betore the combined LInion tleet and army 
under General Ulysses S. Grant, and Nashville had capitidated. These reverses 
and the threatened movement against Richmond thoroughly aroused the South. 
Two of General Lee's sons, Custis and William Fitzhugh, had joined the army 
at the outbreak ot the war. It was now tound impossible to restrain the ardor 
ot Robert, the youngest boy. With his father's permission, he tossed aside 
his school books and enlisted in a company ot artillery. 

Early in April, McClellan transported the Army of the Potomac to the 
peninsula between the York and the James rivers, took Yorktown, the scene 
of Washington's capture of Cornwallis, and cautiously followed the Confeder- 
ate forces as they fell back toward Richmond. The retreating army was com- 
manded by General Joseph E. Johnston. At Fair Oaks and Seven Pines, a 
few miles from the city, it turned and tought desperately to check the Federal 
advance. McClellan was brought to a pause, but the heroic Johnston, of 
whom Scott said in the Mexican War, " He is a great soldier, but unfortunate 
enough to get shot in every engagement," was carried from the field severely 
wounded. 



21 



T HE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

Richmond was dismayed at the news of this disaster. Her streets shook 
with the grumble of hostile cannon, and even the flash of the Northern 
musketry fire could be seen from the house-tops. The thoughts ot all centred 
on the man who had saved the ports of the Confederacy as the one to deliver 
the Capital. In the early morning hours of June i, 1862, the day after the 
battle, Mr. Davis drew up the order. At two o'clock in the afternoon Genera! 
Lee rode to the front and took command, for the first time, of the Army ot 
Northern \'irginia. 

The story of the Seven-Days'-Fight which followed, of how Lee, re-en- 
forced by Jackson, struck McClellan's right flank and, day after day, pounded 
back the Federal line until it stood fast at Malvern Hill, filled the world with 
admiration for the pluck and endurance ot the American soldier, and made 
Robert E. Lee the idol of the South. 

At this time, however. General Lee could ill afford to rest upon this suc- 
cess. Leaving enough men to protect Richmond, he drove General Pope 
from Manassas, forced McClellan's army to be brought back to the defence of 
Washington, and invaded Maryland. The bloody field of Sharpsburg 
( Antietam) caused the Confederate army to recross the Potomac and take up a 
strong position at Fredericksburg on the southern side ot the Rappahannock. 
Here, in December, Burnside vainly attempted to take the famous Marye's 
Heights. 

The men of the Army of Northern \'irginia had now learned to love and 
respect their gray-haired leader. " Here comes Mars' Robert" and the thril- 
ling Confederate yell always greeted his appearance among them. That won- 
derful soldier, " Stonewall " Jackson, shared in these sincere outbursts of 
afTection. It is notable that all the glory and praise which came to General 
Lee from this successful campaign did not alter his character by a hair's-breadth. 
Throughout the whole war, in victory or defeat, he remained the same un- 
assuming, unselfish man — a kind and thoughtful flither. From the winter 
camp at Fredericksburg he writes to his daughter in Richmond: " My precious 
Little Agnes : I have not heard of you for a long time. I wish you were with 
me, for, always solitarv, I am sometimes weary, and long for the reunion 
of my family once again." In these sentences is revealed the heart of Robert 
E. Lee. 

An incident typical of the peculiar conditions which existed in the South- 
ern army occurred at Manassas. For the purpose of watching the Federal 

(22) 



THE S r (J 1^ Y OF ROBERT E. LEE 




■ That wonderful soldier, ' Stonewall ' Jackson ' 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

movements, General Lee had galloped to an eminence where some men were 
serving a gun. During a lull in the firing, one ot his staff said : " General, 
here is someone who wants to see you." General Lee turned and finding only 
an artilleryman, black with powder-sweat, said kindly, " Well, my man, what 
can I do for you ? " The soldier replied : " Why, General, don't you know 
me ^ " It was his own son, " Rob," fighting as a private of artillery. The 
father was overjoyed to find him safe and well, but the circumstance does not 
appear to have been considered either remarkable or unusual. 

For several months the two great armies watched each other from the 
opposite banks of the Rappahannock. Toward the last of April, General 
Hooker led the Army of the Potomac across the river, keeping to the north of 
the strong defenses at Fredericksburg. The battle which ensued at Chancel- 
lorsville ranks among the most terrible of the war. Hooker was driven back, 
but the Confederate cause suffered beyond repair in the loss of "Stonewall" 
Jackson, who fell mortally wounded by a volley from his own men. The news 
of his death was received by General Lee with deep emotion, and he declared 
truly that he had lost his right arm as a commander. 

It was now determined that the war should be carried into the Union 
States, for it was believed that a decisive success on Northern soil would end 
the struggle in favor of the Confederacy. The Southern army took up its 
march through Maryland and invaded Pennsylvania in the highest spirits. But 
General Lee's good fortune did not follow him across the Potomac. The two 
armies again clashed in a desperate conflict near the little farming community 
of Gettysburg. For two long days under the hot summer sun the men of the 
South pushed back the stubborn blue lines, but on July 3d, Pickett's gallant 
charge against the Union center was as gallantly repulsed, and the Confederate 
hopes of a great victory were disappointed. General Lee did not hesitate to 
take the blame for this defeat upon his own shoulders, and skilfully withdrew 
his army to the southern bank of the Rapidan. Its old antagonist slowly fol- 
lowed. 

A touching episode at Gettysburg which illustrates the generous nature 
of the famous Southern leader is told by a Union veteran who lay upon 
the field on the third day suffering from a fearful wound. Faint from loss of 
blood and the exposure, but defiant still, as he saw a group of Confederate offi- 
cers ride by, he raised himself and shouted as loud as he could : "Hurrah for the 
Union." The cry was heard by General Lee, who stopped his horse and 

(24) 



T H K S r () ]< Y OF R O R K R T K. LEE 



.^ 



^3k 





Pickett's Gallant Charge at Gettysburg 

dismounted to walk toward the prostrate man, now awaiting his approach with 
some fear. It was unnecessary, however, for the great general bent over him 
with a sad, kindly expression, and grasping his hand said: " My son, I hope 
you will soon be well." 

The remainder of the vear and winter went bv unmarked by any large 
battles in Virginia. Both armies were preparing tor the final act in the terrible 
drama of war, for at"ter Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg in the West, many 
thoughtful Confederates were convinced that the ultimate success ot their cause 
was hopeless against the overwhelming resources and equal courage ot the 
North. 

General Ulysses S. Grant, who assumed command of the x'lrmy ot the 
Potomac in March, 1864, did not underestimate the difficulty of the task betore 
him. He planned to " hammer continuously" at General Lee to wear him out, 
and in Mav began the march southward with an armv about twice the size ot 



r-s) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

the Confederate force in opposition. The bloody battles of the Wilderness, 
Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor cost the North a dreadful price in the lives ut' 
brave men, but the time had now come when the soldiers lost by the Army ot 
Northern Virginia could not be replaced. The pressure of the powerful Union 
armies upon all sides of the Confederacy had absorbed the entire military 
strength of the South. In this campaign the genius of General Lee flamed 
at its brightest. He blocked and contested every move of his determined 
adversary, but was steadily forced to give ground by flanking operations which 
his inferiority in numbers could not prevent. Grant finally worked his way to 
the James, which he crossed, and sat down before the defenses of Petersburg, 
a few miles southeast of Richmond, into which Lee threw his army. 

During the long fall and winter General Lee held this position against all 
attacks. His devoted army, as Grant had foreseen, was gradually wasting away 
from losses In action and from disease, and such had become the poverty of the 




y ■ 




Sherman's "March to the Sea" 
(26) 



THE STORY OK ROBERT E . LEE 

South that the supply ot necessary clothing and food tor the men was more 
otten insufficient than plenty. General Grant constantly reached out on his 
left with new works, which Lee with his old-time engineering skill promptly 
met with counter fortifications. This stretched the gray line of veterans thin- 
ner and thinner. 

General Sherman's advance northward from Savannah, after his famous 
" March to the Sea," was the signal for Grant to strike. The movement took 
place along the whole front. It was resisted with brilliant courage, but General 
Lee realized that his forces were not strong enough to hold so long a line, 
and, after notifying Mr. Davis, withdrew toward the west during the night of 
April 1st. The L^nion troops entered Richmond the next day. 

A week later, at Appomattox, Sheridan drew up his ca\'alry across the 
road taken by the retreating Confederates. Nothing else could be done, and 
with a sad heart, but conscious that he and his men had fought their best for 
a cause which they sincerely believed to be right, General Lee surrendered 
the hungry and worn-out remnant of the noble Army of Northern A'irginia to 
General Grant. It is a matter ui pride to all Americans to remember that the 
silent Northerner was considerate and thoughtful of the feelings of his brave foe, 
and gave such terms as permitted the gallant Southerners to enter fairly upon 
a newer but not less heroic endeavor to restore prosperity' to their wasted 
country. 



:27) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 



CLOSING DATS 

^|T was not a sign ot \\eakness that the eyes ot General Lee should fill with 
'^' tears as he parted from the men \\ho tor nearly three years had devotedly 
tollowed his leadership. His voice shook with emotion when he turned to 
the ragged, weather-beaten soldiers who crowded about eager to touch his hand : 
" Men, we have fought through the war together; I have done my best for 
you ; jny heart is too full to say more." Good old " Traveller," his favorite 
gray horse, carried the loved commander, bare-headeci, through the lines of 
wet-eyed veterans to join his family in Richmond. 

He was no longer the leader of a powerful army, only a war-worn soldier 
anxious for the peace and comfort of home life, but from everyone, including 
the men in blue who thronged the streets of the Capital, he received respectful 
greetings. How he must have enjoyed the company of his wife and children, 
undisturbed by any thoughts of the movements of armies! 

During the later years of the war, Mrs. Lee had become a confirmed 
invalid. In spite of her inability to move about with ease, she set herself to 
the task of knitting socks and of providing such other necessaries for the needy 
Confederate soldiers in the trenches ot Petersburg as her limited means would 
allow. It was now that the tender care of the boy for his enfeebled mother 
was repeated in the solicitude of the famous general for his heroic wife. 

The attitude of General Lee toward the new order of things was to resume 
citizenship under the only government existing in the country at'ter the close of 
hostilities. He saw more clearly than did many others at the time that the 
terrible years of war had really destroyed the thoughts which had ruled the 
minds of the people of both North and South at the beginning of the struggle. 
Hundreds ot hard-fought battlefields had proven that determination and stub- 
born courage were characteristic of all American soldiers. Distrust and con- 
tempt had faded away to be succeeded by the respect which brave men freely 
give to other brave men. General Lee's words were like a bugle call: 

(28) 



THE STORY OF ROBE R T E. LEE 




Gencr.il Lee and "Traveller" 
(29) 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

" I think it is the duty ot every citizen, in the present condition of the country, 
to do all in his power to aid in the restoration oi peace and harmony, and in no 
way to oppose the policy of the State or General Government directed to that 
object." Offered a home abroad by enthusiastic foreign admirers, he refused 
to even consider the possibility of giving up his birthrights as an American. 

The grateful though impo\'erished people oi the South could not forget 
that the war had made their great hero a poor man, and offers of assistance came 
from every part of the old Confederacy. General Lee, however, persistently 
declined to receive financial aid, but his kind heart would not permit him to 
hurt the feelings (jf the donor ot a small token of affection or regard. He 
never failed to acknowledge the most trivial gift. 

The many requests which reached him to serve as the head of this or that 
large business corporation were set aside. He chose to accept the presidency 
of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia, a small institution which owed 
its name and original fortune to George Washington. It had been nearly 
ruined by the war; its buildings were dismantled, its apparatus destroyed and 
its library scattered, but the men in charge of its affairs were undismayed and 
had reorganized for a fresh start. As illustrating the courage of the trustees, 
the story is told that their own personal financial condition at this time was such 
that only with the greatest exertion was a presentable suit ot clothes obtained 
anci the traveling expenses raised tor the one of their number selected to notify 
the new president ot his election. 

General Lee entered upon this work with his usual earnestness and with 
a deep sense of the responsibility. Under his administration the college grew 
to be a power in the revival of higher education in the South. It was charac- 
teristic of General Lee that he should carefully acquire a thorough knowledge 
of his charges ; learning the hopes and ambitions of each student, his associations 
and habits. In return they ga\'e him their complete confidence and affection. 

His lite continued to run m these peaceful lines for several years. He 
would not be drawn into any fierce political strife, nor would he listen to the 
most tempting inducement to leave the work for which his mentality and 
simple dignity made him so singularly well-fitted. 

The mind of General Lee was free from any bitterness against the North. 
Once when a minister took occasion to speak harshly of his late antagonists, the 
old Confederate leader said, " Doctor, there is a good old book which I read 
and you preach from which says, ' Love your enemies, bless them that curse 



THE S r O R Y O 1' K O B E R T E. LEE 




ii 



i. 




Washington and Lee Universitv, Lexington, Va. 

you, do good to them that hate you, and prav tor them that despitefully use 
you.' Do you think your remarks this evening were quite in the spirit ot that 
teaching ? " 

In the spring of 1870 the health ot General Eee began to show the effect 
of the worry and exposure ot the many trying campaigns he had been through. 
A trip to the milder climate ot Savannah tailed to improve his condition, never- 
theless the fall session of Washington College opened with the grave, kindiv 
president standing in his accustomed place. A tew days later he was stricken 
while with his family at the evening meal. For two weeks he lingered. In 
the delirium of death his thoughts wandered to the battlefields, and his dying 
words, " Tell Hill he must come up," were remarkably similar to those of 



,^1 



THE STORY OF ROBERT E. LEE 

" Stonewall " Jackson who expired with " Tell A. P. Elill to prepare for action " 
upon his lips. On the morning of October 12, 1S70, the noble soul of 
Robert E. Lee gently passed away. 

Washington and Lee University now unites the names of its founder and 
restorer, the two glorious sons of Virginia, strangely alike in temperament and 
ability, it not in equal fortune. A splendid mausoleum is attached to the chapel 
of the college where reverent hands have placeci a beautiful statue of flawless 
white marble representing the great soldier as tranquilly sleeping upon his 
couch. In the vault beneath rests forever the dead " Hero of the Confederacy." 



" The bitterness and resentments of 
the war belong to the past. Its glories 
are the common heritage of us all. 
What was won in that great conflict 
belongs just as securely to those who 
lost as to those who triumphed " 

— WILLIAM McKINLEY 



..>v 



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